Log grapple



Feb. 3,1925. 525,197

R. A. RANGER LOG GRAPPLE Original Filed June 9, 1922 2 Sheets-Shut 1Feb. 3, 1925. 1,525,197 R. A. RANGER v LOG GRAPPLE Original Filed June9, 1922 2 sh ts-sheet 2 nQento l Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

um ran 5 TA ra s BOY A.

BANGER,OF CHAR LEVOIX, MICHIGAN.

LOG GRAPBLE.

Application'filed June 9, 1922, Seria1 No. 567,211. Renewed December 27,1924.

To aZZZ-w/zom it may concerns 'Beit known that 1,1301 A. RANGER, acitizen of the "United States, residing at Charlevoi-X, county ofCharlevoix, State ofMichigan,'l1ave invented certain new andusefulImprovement in Log-Grapples, and de- -lare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable othersskilled inthe art to which it pertains to make and use the same,:reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part ofthis speeification.

This invention relates to apparatus for salvaging sunken logs, and hasfor 'itsobject an improved arrangement of parts whereby the logs may beeasily sought out by the points of the grappling hooks, as they lie moreorless irregularly on the bottom of a lake or river, often partly buriedin sand or mud, and whereby when grappled they may be most easilydislodged and raised. My improved device hasparticular reference touniformity of action of the grappling members, regardless of thecharacter of the bottom, whether hard, soft sand, mud, or weedy.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a grapple-being towed'from scow, withone of its pronged arms just engaging a log partly buried in sand,

Figure 2 is a similar view, on a somewhat larger scale, showingboth-arms of the grap ple engaging the log, which is being startedf-ronrits buried position in the sand,

Figure'3 is a perspective of my improved grapple.

'Fign re 4 is a detail sectional view, taken along the line 44: of Fig.1.

Figure'5 is a similar detail, taken along the/line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Except in relatively shallow and very clear water, grappling for sunkenlogs is a more or less blind groping for the "logs, whose presence in agiven'locality is generally known, because oft-he ki iowle'd gethatlumbering operations have in former years been in progress along thatparticular-stream or lake. But the eXact-positioningof the individuallogs. whether each lies loosely on the stream or lake bottom, and thesize of each, is a matter of surmise until each is raised to the surfaceafter being grappled. Furthermore, a section of bottoinwhich isrelatively clear and hard and free of weeds may, and frequently does,adjoin a soft and muddy portion, in which ordinary grappling tongs wouldsink so deeply as to be of little or no use for their intended purpose,even though 0 oeratingweil on another kind of bottom. i-nd provisionmust be made,- as to the operation of ,the parts of the grapplerelatively toone another, so that a log, when grappled, may be firmlyseized and held, whatever its size be, while it is being raised to thesurface.

To this end,'I have devised the apparatus herein disclosed and claimed,whichis peculiarly adapted to accommodate itself'to the irregularitiesin the character and contour Off the bottom overwhichit is being towed,and which, when a log has been encountered, can be relied uponto hold itagainst slippage. It consists of a-pairof tongs A and 'B pivotallyjoined near theircenters, as at 0, each being provided at itslower endwith an inturned point or-hook designed to sink into the wood when the'log is grappled. \Vith the upper-end of the arm A is loosely connected, as'by the link or swivel D,the lazy tongs link E, while to theupper. end of the arm B is similarly connected the lower end of' thelinkF. The upper end-of the link E is -pivotally-conneoted with thecenter portion of the linlrF by pivot G, andthe upper end of the link Ehas attached to it the cable -H,by whichthe grapple is suspended fromthe scow J. To the lower end of the arm Bis attached the lower end ofthe rope or cable '='K, by whichzthe .arm B is held in raisedo-rnon-grapplingposition as the device'is being drawn along the lakeor'river bottom.

Thegrappling arm portion of the device thusfar described would, ofcourse, sink-to the bottom,.and, in the case of a mud bottom,- sinkthereinto, and in the case of a hard bottom would fall over on itsside'in such a position as to be of-little or nouse, were it not for theconnection with it of the float member L,-preferably constructed ofwatertight pipe, or filled with abuoya-nt packing, which is ratherloosely pivoted at its slightly opened forward end, as at V, to theupper end o'f'the arm A,-witlrits bowed or circular portio-irlyinggenera lly abovethe rearward or lower end of-the arm A, with which thecenter of the curved portion'is loosely connected by the chain M. Thismember L is so designed as -to-its shapeand'its buoyancy relatively tothe hooks or grappling arms, that, as the device is towed along thebottom, it assumed a position midway be tween such a degree of buoyancythat it would float on the surface and such an absence thereof, that itwould sink to the bottom. And since the loose pivot and the linkconnections between the float and the grappling hooks are situated onthe former at substantially opposite points in its curved outline, whenviewed from above or beneath, the log-grappling members are suspendedsubstantially beneath this semi-buoyant ring, thus sustaining the hooksnear the bottom, so that while the rearward arm A can seize with itspoint the imbedded or partly embedded log, it still keeps the grapplefrom sinking too far relatively to the bottom so that its weight, whenit strikes a stone or similar obstruction, would make it jump completelyover an adjacent log, or tall over onto one side in such position; andyet the loose character of the support afforded by the chain M insuresthe positioning of the hooks because of their own weight in mosteffective operating position relatively to the bottom that is beingdragged, and the looseness of the float members connection with thischain connection and its pivoting enables it to rock or sway from oneside to an other as regards horizontal positioning, according to theincline of the bottom being traversed or to obstructions which it encounters, without efl'ecting any substantial change in the desiredupright positioning of the loggrappling hooks.

In operation, as soon as a log has been caught by the point of the armA, which can be sensed by the increased pull upon the cable H, theoperator in charge of the rope K lowers the same, so that the arm B canrespond to the increased pull on the cable H, due to the lazy-tongsaction of the links E and F, and when the log has thus been firmlygripped by both hooks, it can be drawn to the surface; extra hookpoints, as N, may, if desired, be added to the inner or log-engagingsurface of one of the arms as A. It should be observed that by thearrangement of the arms I have shown, a log, which when grappled, may bepried or drawn away from its more or less embedded position in the sandby what may be described as a rolling or canthook action. This, with aminimum of effort, permits a strong leverage of a twisting character tobe applied for overcoming the suctional resistance to its dislodgment.

What I claim is:

1. In a grapple, in combination with an annular float and protectivemember adapted to maintain a substantially horizontal position, a pairof pivotally associated grapple arms adapted to be held by manual pullupon a connected rope member in open position and in a substantiallyvertical plane beneath said annular float member, lazy tong members fordrawing said grapple arms together contemporaneously with the cessationof manual pull upon said rope, and loose connecting means between saidgrapple arms and said annular float member, whereby the irregular upwardand downward movement of said grapple arms due to their striking againstunexpected obstructions is communicated in only slight degree to saidannular float member.

2. In combination with a pair of pivotally united and normally openedgrapple arms, link members at their upper ends for drawing the arms intoengaging position about a log, and a circular horizontally disposedfloat member having a loose connection with said grapple arms, thevertical plane of which'extends substantially centrally thereof, wherebythey are semi-buoyantly sustained in position for limited verticalmovement independently of the float according to the objectsencountered.

3. A grapple, having in combination with a relatively buoyant annularfloat member, a pair of normally open grapple arms supported fromoppositely disposed portions of the periphery of said float member in asubstantially vertical plane, the connection between said parts beingflexible, thereby minimizing the obstacle-induced movements of saidgrapple arms communicated to said float member, and manually controlledmeans for regulating the drawing together of said grapple arms.

4. In combination with ahorizontally positioned relatively buoyant ring,a pair of pivotally related grappling members loosely suspended fromoppositely disposed points on said ring in away to transmit to said ringin a modified degree only the irregular movements of said grapplingmembers, and supporting and hoisting ropes operatively connected withsaid grappling members.

5. The combination, with a pair of pivot ally connected grappling arms,of. a relatively buoyant annular member, and means flexibly connectingsaid grappling arms With peripherally opposite portions thereof, wherebythe grappling arms are loosely supported in a substantially verticalplane, regardless of the temporary displacement of either member fromits intended position, due to striking of external obstacles.

In testimony whereof, I sign this speciiication in the presence of twowitnesses.

ROY A. RANGER. Vitnesses IVILLIAM IVALLACE, GLENN F. BEARD.

